Temporary identification or membership cards are commonly used in industries such as travel, auto and health insurance and others to provide proof of insurance coverage, membership or the like. These cards are typically date-sensitive and expire at regular intervals so they are replaced often. Accordingly, it is not economical for the issuer to provide a permanent card. Instead temporary cards are used which have a useful life of about one year.
The cards usually have information printed thereon, including the user's name, the issuer's name, identifying codes, effective dates and the like. Usually the cards are attached to some kind of carrier sheet containing further information for the user. The carrier sheet and card are often sent through the mail. One area of the carrier sheet or card may include a mailing address. Printing the cards and preparing them for mailing in a high-speed, on-line process has proven to be a problem.
Current technology often involves use of cards which are made separately from the carrier sheet and then glued to the surface of the carrier sheet. Such cards are known as tipped-on cards. Tipping-on allows for a smooth edge to the card but requires two separate printing operations, one for the card and one for the carrier. It also requires that the cards be attached to the carrier in a separate tipping operation which is slow. The largest disadvantage to this design is that customer specific information cannot be non-impact printed on both the card and carrier without degradation of the print quality adjacent to the card. The tipped-on cards frequently come free from the carrier as they pass through the non-impact printers where they are subject to high heat, pressure and bending.
Cards made by perforating the carrier stock can overcome the limitations Just described but such cards are difficult to remove from the carrier stock without the risk of coming loose in the non-impact printers or being torn by the end user. Furthermore, the perforated cards leave little ties or protruding paper fibers where the carrier stock was not perforated, so the edges of the card are not smooth. Smooth edges and easy removal are highly desirable for these cards.